August-September 2010 Moms

Kerry,

You missed me Also in JHB, and would love to meet
Any idea yet on date? PM?

Girly - I could send you the pattern for the hats and you could try it is is a tutorial and has pictures and everything!

Cols - Yep i can make for you, no problem just choose colours

BabyKsmom - CONGRATS!!!!!!! Oh and good luck for the baptism!

So that makes three for meeting PM?
babyksmom
Me
cols

Girly,

i can really relate to you regarding this matter and know exactly what you must be going thru. i was exactly in that position (just worse) and feeling so hopeless.

most of the things you have mentioned are so familiar.
from what you have explained, your baba's condition is not so bad and it can be fix and lead a normal life.

i was referred to a fetal specialist gynaecologist by the genetic dr, her name is Dr Aisha Patel (morning side clinic) she is absolutely good. i have been with her with my 2 kids and knows her job.

my cardiologist is Dr Silungwe who is also great and Professor Kinsgley (both from Sunninghill clinic).

i live in johannesburg and currently working for vodacom.

yes i do have a living maid to look after the small one, my son is now in creche.

all the best wit your little one ad please do keep me posted with her condition
if you would like to chat more, email me

.....................................
stay blessed

Hi girls

Sorry can't chat, off to Pick n Pay to get stuff for Sunday for the baptism and and and! hehe
But just to say quickly:
Welcome back Addo!
PM and Joburg moms, I'm keen to meet up for lunch/ coffee at the BWC - when are you planning on coming through to Randburg PM?
Kerry those hats are gorgeous!
Girly, hope DH's bday was awesome and enjoy having him home today for the half day
Babyzee, thank goodness for AF! I don't trust microval, I bled erratically while on it and at one stage didn't have AF for 6 weeks so thought I was pregnant. I went back onto Nordette and things are coming right now although I really hate getting my period. As soon as I can afford to I'm going to get the Mirena, heard such awesome things about it

DH got a new job! We are sooooooo happy! Its not really more money so things are still gonna be tight for a while but he has a real future at this company and they are so positive and it just seems so right. I'm so proud of him

Hi girls

Sorry can't chat, off to Pick n Pay to get stuff for Sunday for the baptism and and and! hehe
But just to say quickly:
Welcome back Addo!
PM and Joburg moms, I'm keen to meet up for lunch/ coffee at the BWC - when are you planning on coming through to Randburg PM?
Kerry those hats are gorgeous!
Girly, hope DH's bday was awesome and enjoy having him home today for the half day
Babyzee, thank goodness for AF! I don't trust microval, I bled erratically while on it and at one stage didn't have AF for 6 weeks so thought I was pregnant. I went back onto Nordette and things are coming right now although I really hate getting my period. As soon as I can afford to I'm going to get the Mirena, heard such awesome things about it

DH got a new job! We are sooooooo happy! Its not really more money so things are still gonna be tight for a while but he has a real future at this company and they are so positive and it just seems so right. I'm so proud of him

Addo thanks for sharing. I remember your user name but we moved from pampers a year ago already so I cant quite recall. But I'm so glad you found us. Please keep chatting, we love hearing about everyone's progress.
Where do you live?
Are you working or SAHM? Who looks after LO during the day?

I'm really sorry to hear about your struggles. You are right less than 4 heart chambers really complicates things. And often there is other problems associated with it.
When its not genetic then its just from the heart development in utero which happens around 4 weeks and somewhere something just didnt happen 100% right.

The first cardiologist also suggested we do chromosomal testing because my FIL had palmenary stenosis, but since there is no other CHD's in our families the 2nd and our current cardiologist has suggested it is unlikely to be genetic.

We never went for a scan with a fetal specialist as the gynae was happy with everything and we were low risk. So they only found out when she was 3 days old by hearing a murmur when listening to her heart. Luckily the paed decided to send us for an ECG when we were discharged as she would've died by the time she was a week old otherwise.

Kaylee had a few problems. The main immediate one was coarctation of the aorta - where the aortic valve had a narrowing restricting blood flow to the lower body. As the PFO started closing (this is open in utero and closes between 7-14 days after birth) it added pressure to the aorta and it became very serious very quickly. Day 8 we had a follow up with the cardiologist who then confirmed it had gotten worse, and we basically went from her rooms to the surgical ICU at Chris Barnard, and at 7pm that night they were operating. It was the most nerve wrecking 3 hrs of my life! During the op they found the vein that supplies blood to the left upper body is transpositioned and sitting on the right. It was sitting right near the narrowing so they couldn't do a resection (cut away the narrowing) and had to use a patch.
Over time the scar tissue formed around this patch and as the heart grew and the patch didnt the renarrowing happened again - called re-coarctation. There was about a 20% chance of it happening. So last month when K was 6 months old she had her 2nd op. This time, because the heart had gotten bigger, they were able to do the resection which reduces the chance of bad scar tissue build up and another coarctation.

Other than this she also has a bi-cuspid aortic valve (the normal is tri-cuspid) which means the valve has to work harder to pump blood to the body. It is mildly stenoic. Provided the stenosis doesnt worsen she can live with this into late adulthood where in her 40's - 60's she will need valve replacement. So we just pray that the stenosis (overflow) stays the same until she is old enough for valve replacement, as 'fixing' it while her heart is still growing is complex.

The cardiologist always reminds us how complex her conditions are which really scares me.

She also had a VSD (hole in the heart) which thankfully closed. And she had a PDA which also seems to have closed. And the first cardiologist said she had palmenary stenosis but the 2nd cardiologist has never been able to see evidence of this and has said she doesnt have it.

So ja, we are so very greatful that the operations were a success and she is in such good hands.

Which doctors are you with?

Sorry for hi-jacking the thread ladies!

hi Girly and everyone,

i used my real name on pampers but later changed it to Addo.

am really sorry to hear about your LO's condition.
well my late baby had a really complicated heart defect (which unfortunately my then gynae never picked up while i was doing my routine check ups) the problem was only discovered after i gave birth that she only had 3 chambers instead of 4. which meant her oxygened blood and the de-oxygened blood was mixing.

her very first OP was done at 4 weeks (after birth), this operation was to put a Shant (sp) in between the ventriculars in order to separate the two bloods from mixing, unfortunately this shant was not done properly, so she went back for another OP after a week.

during this time, my little baby's body was too weak to have undergone two operations in a roll, she battled with infections (while in icu) after infections. and unfortunately died at 11 weeks

afterwards my hubby and i had to go for Genetic tests, chrosmones etc and everything was 100% okay.( i dont understand why my baby was born like that but am very sure God gave me her for a very special reason)
i now have 2 health babies and i thank God again for my new Gynae (she has been god sent)

but Girly, did your gynae not pick up the problem while you were pregnant? and what is the extent of your baby's condition

lots of luv.....